Ait Ben Hadou to Sahara Desert, Morocco: Adventure Day (Part 1)

Ait Ben Hadou is a famous Bedouin village, for the fact that something like 16 movies have been filmed there. Most recently for the Game of Thrones! It’s a beautiful ancient village, that about 15 families still live in, approximately 75 people. Five years ago a bridge was put in, so that when the rains flood, they can still leave. Before, they were unable to get across the river, until the rain subsided.

(You can see the sandbag bridge we used, that was all they had previously)

Within a year, they were able to install running water in their village. Before, they had to take donkeys five miles to the well. They’re now working on getting electricity, running electrical lines through their mud walls. It’s amazing the changes a few years can bring.

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With our price of admission into the village we got a local guide. He was able to show us all around. Explain the different types of buildings, (castles vs homes), and he even showed us around his own home. His mom was busy weaving a new rug!

(You can see the movie poster from Gladiator hanging up in their ‘salon’, the fighting pits from that movie were filmed here.)

(This was incredible artwork they created using a magnifying glass to burn the images onto some kind of particle board)

(Just some guy selling an antique rifle!)

(Our guide had a 5.5 year old son as well. He understood L’s energy!)

(Vendors were trying to push scarves on us when they learned we were going to the Sahara. But dang how cute is this?!)

We left Ait Ben Hadou and drive about two more hours to Zagora. We met our guide for our camel ride. We were going to ride out into the desert and stay in tents for the night!!